Composed on the snow resting on the trees.
春立てば花とや見らむ白雪のかかれる枝にうぐひすぞなく
Faru tateba
Fana to ya miramu
sirayuki no
kakareru eda ni
uguFisu zo naku |
Spring is swelling
Is that blossom I see?
White snow
Hanging on the branches
Where the warbler sings. |
The Monk Sosei
素性法師
Topic unknown.
梅がえにきゐるうぐひすはるかけてなけどもいまだ雪はふりつつ
mume ga e ni
kiwiru ugufisu
Faru kakete
nakedomo imada
yuki fa furitutu |
To the plum tree’s branches
The warbler has come.
That spring is here
He sings, although
Still the snow is falling. |
Anonymous
A poem on the beginning of Spring by the Nijō Empress.
雪の内に春はきにけりうぐひすのこほれる涙今やとくらむ
yuki no uti ni
Faru Fa kinkeri
uguFisu no
koForeru namida
ima ya tokuramu |
There’s still snow
Yet spring is here
The warbler’s
Frozen tears
May be melting even now. |
Empress Kōshi
A reference to another man’s wife here.
葦鴨のすだく池水溢るともまけ溝の邊に我れ越えめやも
asigamo nö
sudaku ikë midu
apuru tö mo
make mizo nö pe ni
ware koeme ya mo |
The ducks
Flock quacking in the pond and water
Overflows, yet
To another’s pre-dug ditch
Shall I proceed? |
The above poem expresses thoughts through reference to water.
The commentators agree that the carelessly unguarded fish-trap is the man’s daughter.
Metaphors.
山川に筌をし伏せて守りあへず年の八年を我がぬすまひし
yamagapa ni
upë wo si pusete
moriapezu
tösi nö ya tose wo
wa ga nusumapisi |
In a mountain river
Did he place a fish-trap
But to guard is was too much
And these past eight years
Have I stolen from it! |
The above poem expresses thoughts through reference to fish.
玉敷ける家も何せむ八重葎覆へる小屋も妹と居りせば
tamasikeru
ipe mo nani semu
yape mugura
opoperu woya mo
imo tö woriseba |
A gem-strewn
House-what’s that to me?
With wild weeds
Overgrown, a hut is where I’ll go
If my darling’s there. |
思ふ人來むと知りせば八重葎覆へる庭に玉敷かましを
omopu pitö
komu tö siriseba
ya pe mugura
opoperu nipa ni
tama sikamasi wo |
My love,
Had I but known his coming,
Among the wild weeds
Of my garden
I would have scattered jewels. |
うらぶれて物は思はじ水無瀨川ありても水は行くといふものを
uraburete
monö pa omopazi
minasegapa
arite mo midu pa
yuku tö ipu monö wo |
Downcast
Thoughts I will not have;
To a river without water
With time, the water
Will return, they say! |
'Simply moving and elegant'